By: Linda Merriott Anger. We all have lost our temper at times. But when anger becomes a predominant emotion, we have a problem. The Bible says ugly, hateful words should never come from our mouths, but if we grew up in angry homes, we learned how easily tempers can flare (Ephesians 4:29-32 The Passion). When we become parents, we tend …
By Mark and Kandy Persall “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength” (Deuteronomy 6:5). This commandment is not new to us now and wasn’t new to Jesus’ disciples then. When asked to choose the greatest commandment (Matt 22:37-39), Jesus quoted this verse in Deuteronomy, then added, love your neighbor as yourself. Yet, just before His death, …
If I were His girl, I would awaken each day with eagerness. In first light, sleepy-eyed and tousled, I would remember that He loves me and rejoice in that knowledge. If I were His girl, I would yearn to see Him more than anyone else. With anticipation, I would consider time with Him as imperative. I’d be insistent that He …
By Magen Thetford Selling used items on Facebook brings zero joy to my heart. I’d rather not deal with the hassle of communicating back and forth several times with someone over an item that I’m going to sell for a few dollars. But I had a bulky crib stacked in the corner of a closet for the last year, and …
Like oil and water, fear and love don’t mix well. Where there is love, fear flees. Where there is fear, love waits. “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18). Our world has become a scary place: dread and foreboding fill our inbox and texts. We desire to “be anxious for nothing” and …
By Kandy Persall I hate waste. I’m not sure if it stems from a childhood of pinching pennies or adulthood of recycling in Asia. Anyway, if something seems wasteful, it bothers me. The caveat is that what I consider waste is someone else’s need. I feel that buying tickets to a sporting event is an extravagance, but my husband swears …
I fell in love through correspondence. Not online, but through paper and ink. I met my pen-pal weeks earlier on a domestic flight. We attended neighboring colleges and reconnected over a few coffee dates before our summer schedules began. Airlines may have parted us internationally, but air letters endeared us emotionally. The outside of our letters were nothing special. Called …
I was stunned. I had known Phoebe since our girls were little. She had been to our home many times and always read to the girls when it was their bedtime. Later, Phoebe had worked tirelessly in a small town, doing menial jobs so that she could share the gospel with those around her. She had been a …
Hartlee Kirk‘s guest post reminds me not only of my early days of marriage, but of deep truths that ring true today as well. No matter where we are in the process of our marriage (or even other relationships), she makes us want to roll up our sleeves and get to work! As he peeled the rusty-orange shag carpet away, …
Holy Father, Thank You for embodying the complete character of Love (1 John 4:16). In the midst of this crazy generation, we need desperately to see past the present and gaze into the eternal. As I remember Your everlasting Presence today, remind me of the unsearchable qualities of Your love. * You are patient with me (1 Corinthians 13:4). You …
